Commodore could be headed to Europe

The success of Holden fully depends on its export programs, which is why the GM division is considering selling the Commodore sedan in more markets with the latest tipped to be Europe. Variants of the Commodore are already sold in the Middle-East, South Africa and parts of Asia, and will soon be heading Stateside as the new Pontiac G8, and, according to Drive, could also make it to Europe.



A performance model is sold in limited numbers in the U.K. as the Vauxhall VXR8 but Opel managing director Hand Demant is keen to see the car sold as a new Opel flagship and is currently testing the luxury V6 Calais model. The car would essentially replace the Omega, which was dropped back in 2003.

One major sticking point is a lack of a diesel option. Though GM has an excellent 2.9L V6 diesel, Demant explained that investment and validation costs have ruled out any chance of the Commodore getting the oil-burner.

Another option would be to use Cadillac’s new CTS as a basis for a new flagship as we reported earlier. However, since that car will be sold in Europe as well, going with the Commodore would be a better solution.